Yin and Yang
by Negative Space Squint
Summary: Brennan gets blown up again and wakes up in the hospital. Of course, Booth is there too, Alpha-male tendencies and crazy ties in tow. Rating may change due to language.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi! This is my first Bones fanfiction, though I've been reading for quite some time and I've written for other fandoms. Yes, I'm aware this plot is way overused, but it's only thing I could seem to get down. I'm looking forward to trying out some Bones stuff, as it's my newest obsession. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated; I'd love to improve. Hope you like! Rating may be upped due to language in later chapters. Also, don't expect any smut. It's not that I don't like it or disapprove or anything, it's just that I really can't write it at all. Sorry!_

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Bones. Unfortunately. Or Booth. :(**

_Oh, and this is the only disclaimer I'm going to post. It's kind of redundant to post it every chapter. And depressing. On that note, I am going to go cry._

_Just kidding. _

_Happy reading!

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An irritating, rhythmic beeping was the first thing she heard. She was content to listen to it for a moment before something new interrupted her tranquility. What was it? It was certainly unpleasant, stabbing at her psyche with a force that nearly stunned her back into unconsciousness.

Oh, right. Pain.

She felt her brow furrow as she internally winced, a thousand questions going through her mind. _Where am I? What am I doing here? Where's B-_

"Bones? You awake?"

_Oh. Right next to me._

Her cobalt eyes fluttered open briefly before instinctually shutting out the bright, oppressive light that had flooded her senses.

"Bones…?"

His slightly panicked, impatient voice made her open her eyes fully, though she winced for a few seconds at the pain before they adjusted. Booth's face loomed very close to hers, and she could see that he was as close to her bed as the fluorescent orange chair he was sitting on allowed. His hair was somewhat disheveled, as though he too had just woken up, and his suit had a small, barely noticeable brown stain over his heart, and the usual outrageous tie was missing. His eyes were haunted and filled with immense pain, as though he was on fire, even though he was smiling tightly. She noticed slightly puffy red rims around his eyes.

"Booth…? What happened? Why am I in the hospital? And why, for the love of God, is it so damn _bright_ in here?" she rasped, surprised to hear that her voice was barely more than a whisper. Her eyes took a quick sweep of the room, which was rather small and very brightly lit. She noticed what she assumed was Booth's blue-and-black striped tie lying crumpled on the floor near where she also assumed the chair was placed before he scooted it forward territorially. Three machines cataloguing her vitals were to her right, though only one of them chirped aggravatingly. She looked up slightly to see an IV filled with a clear liquid and noticed that it was attached to the inside of her arm.

Booth broke out into a true grin and chuckled with an air of hysterical relief.

"What?" Brennan asked, annoyed.

"Bones, you got blown up again," he explained, the grin slipping off his face. She blinked, waiting for him to continue.

"We were leaving the diner after dinner, after we closed the Miller case, and we started arguing-"

"Imagine that," she interrupted dryly.

Booth rolled his eyes and quickly continued, "And might I just point out that if you hadn't _insisted_ on driving, this wouldn't have happened? Anyway, you got to the car before me and as soon as you turn the key, well…"

He gestured to the machines to her right and sighed deeply.

"…How long was I out?" she asked after a very pregnant pause.

"About a week. You broke two ribs, fractured your skull, and bled internally. The doctors had to perform emergency surgery after I brought you in, and then you slipped into a coma. They didn't think you were going to last long. In fact, I'm surprised someone hasn't-"

The door opened, interrupting him, and a very surprised-looking seeming to be in her early 40's walked in, carrying a thick manila folder. Her curly brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she looked as though she had just been slapped.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm Dr. Hadley. How do you feel?" she asked slowly, pulling a miniature flashlight out of her pocket and checking Brennan's eyes.

"Besides this headache, I'm actually quite comfortable," Brennan replied. Dr. Hadley frowned.

"Have you tried moving yet?"

Brennan shook her head and immediately regretted it. The pain she had felt when she awoke was nothing compared to the poisonous lancet jabbing at her brain now. She cautiously attempted to move her left leg and was rewarded with a dull, throbbing pain.

"Ow," she replied, surprised.

Dr. Hadley smiled, and Brennan saw Booth's eyes narrow.

"Well, I am surprised, to say the least. I didn't think you were going to be back with us in a very, very long time, if ever. Your… partner," Dr. Hadley grinned at the word, "told me that you were 'made of stronger stuff,' but we get that all the time. People think that their loved ones are invincible, and delude themselves into believing that nothing can happen to them. I am glad to say that your partner was one of the few that were right," she said, speaking quicker as she checked the various monitors attached to Brennan.

"I was in a _coma?"_ Brennan asked, looking from Booth to the doctor. She nodded grimly.

"Yes, quite a serious one."

Booth's only response was to look to the floor and then return his searching, haunted eyes to her face.

"But she's okay now, right Doc?" Booth asked after a moment. The doctor placed a few pages' worth of readouts from the machines into the folder she had brought with her before turning back to answer him.

"Well, we'll have to keep you overnight to make sure you don't slip back into the coma, but you should be allowed to leave tomorrow if all goes well. After that, it's bed rest for two weeks and then a very light lifestyle, that means no heavy lifting or overexertion of any kind, for another two weeks after that before you can go back to your normal routine," Dr. Hadley responded, looking between Brennan and Booth as she spoke.

Brennan groaned, causing Booth to lean even closer, his eyes roaming over her frantically.

"What is it, Bones?" he asked, helplessness leaking into his voice.

"No work for _two weeks_. Three, if you count the week I was in the coma! What am I going to do? What's going to happen to the lab?" she groaned.

Booth sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What you're going to do, Bones, is concentrate on getting better. You are not going to go into work. You are not going to _worry_ about work, and you are not going to overexert yourself in any way! Need I remind you that you just woke up from a _coma?_" Booth answered angrily.

Brennan shot the nurse a very un-Brennan-like _do I have to?_ look.

"I'm afraid he's right, Dr. Brennan. In fact, given what he has told me about you, I think it would be best if you stayed with someone during your two weeks of bed rest or had someone stay with you so I can ensure that you don't overwork yourself."

"Ha! See that, Bones? I was right! Guess I'm crashing at your place for a while," he goaded, charm smile in place.

"That is completely unfair! I'm not a child; I don't need supervision!" Brennan retorted angrily, glaring at the doctor.

"Yeah you do, Bones, because you and I both know that unless someone stops you, you'll be sneaking back to your lab the first chance you get!" Booth replied, his own temper flaring.

"Why can't I stay with Angela?" Brennan asked sulkily. A ghost of some stronger emotion passed over Booth's face before he started to look incredibly uncomfortable, reminding Brennan of the look on his face every time one of their conversations turned to sex or religion.

"I don't think that would be the best idea," he finally said. When Brennan just continued to stare at him, he said, "She's kinda… busy lately."

Brennan just shook her head, giving up.

"Well, this whole conversation is irrelevant, because I do NOT need supervision," she said imperiously.

"Bones, someone tried to kill us. I'm not letting you out of my sight. End of story."

"Booth, you don't know-"

"Dr. Brennan? Agent Booth? Arguing is really not conducive to a quick recovery," Dr. Hadley interrupted, obviously amused.

Brennan resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest.

"I'm going to go make a few calls – visiting hours are almost over, and there are a couple of people that warned me that if I didn't tell them they could see you the second you woke up, they would sue. I'll be right back…" Hadley said before closing the door quietly.

"Angela," Brennan muttered under her breath, smiling.

"And Hodgins, Cam, Russ, and your dad," Booth continued.

Brennan groaned and shut her eyes.

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_See the little purple button? The little purple button sees you. And it has wicked guilt-tripping skills. :D Muahaha. Chapter 2 is coming soon! _


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi again! First of all, let me just give a big thank you to all who reviewed -- you guys seriously made my week!! I didn't expect much and it really helped me get this chapter out sooner! ^_^ _

_The next couple of chapters may not be here in a few days -- I'm sort of really cramming to get my grades up this quarter, because my school is stupid and sends out grades right before the holidays. I know. It's cruel. Anyway, my main focus right now is schoolwork, but after my winter break starts I should be able to rapid-fire at least three or four chapters for you guys. Sorry about the delay!_

_Also, do not be discouraged by the lack of Booth in this chapter. He'll be back :D Happy reading!

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"Sweetie!!!!" Angela squealed, running over to Brennan and grabbing her in a gentle yet excruciatingly painful hug.

"Hi, Angela," Brennan murmured, her voice muffled through Angela's hair.

"Angela, you're hurting her," Booth said warningly. She let go immediately.

"Oh, Sweetie! We knew you would come out of this! You had to," Angela gushed, her voice sounding slightly wet. Brennan was surprised to see tears freely falling down her best friend's face.

"Hey, Dr. B," Hodgins said from in between Angela and Booth. He grinned and wrapped his arm around Angela's waist, which shocked Brennan. The last time she was conscious, Hodgins and Angela were still broken up. But…

"_She's kinda… busy lately."_

…_OH._

Cam walked in to Brennan's left, saying, "Dr. Brennan, it's nice to have you back again. We all-"

She was interrupted by Booth clearing his throat loudly and giving her a very pointed look.

"Oh, right. You are not permitted to come back into the lab for the next…"

"Two weeks," Booth supplied firmly.

"…Two weeks, or else I will have no choice but to fire you and have security escort you off the premises. Is that clear?"

Brennan shot Booth the dirtiest look she could muster before replying a begrudged "yes" under her breath, uttering it like a swear.

_Booth, you are going to catch hell for this later,_ she thought.

"Good! Now, more importantly, how are you feeling?" Cam asked warmly.

"Not too bad," Brennan answered, ignoring Booth's cynical snort at her reply.

"Oh, Sweetie…" Angela trailed off, a frown gracing her features for the first time since she arrived. Brennan, for the first time, wondered what her face looked like.

_It must be bad…_ she mused, seeing everyone's faces fall as their eyes traveled across her visage.

Just before the moment went on long enough for Brennan to start feeling insecure, she was surprised to see her very haggard-looking father enter the room.

"Tempe? You're… awake?" he asked, moving to the side of her bed. Booth scooted his chair back to make room, shooting Cam, Angela, and Hodgins very apparent looks, eyebrows raised. There was a chorus of "I'm going to go get some coffee…" as the room emptied.

"You gonna be okay here, Bones?" Booth asked quietly, the chair squeaking as he rose to his feet. A few of his bones cracked as he stood. Brennan rolled her eyes at him. He half-smiled before he left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Her father's most noticeable features were large, identical, bruise-like shadows under his eyes. A few wrinkles had also appeared on his face, as though he had aged five years in the past week. A grim smile had broken out on his face, though his usually bright blue eyes had dulled somewhat, and had the exact haunted look that had invaded Booth's eyes.

"Hey, Dad," Brennan said, smiling. She was still unsure of where she stood on the subject of her father, but she couldn't deny it was nice to see him there.

"Tempe… you know, you have _really_ got to stop this whole getting-blown-up thing. You're going to give your old man a heart attack," Max grinned. It didn't quite reach his eyes.

"It wasn't my fault! Did Booth tell you the story?" she asked defensively.

"Yes, but that didn't make me worry any less. Honey, you were in a _coma,_" Max replied gently.

"Why does everyone keep saying it like that? I _know_ I was in a coma. I'm not going to burst into tears each time someone tells me. And people wake up from comas all the time. It's not like-"

"Tempe, not like this. Do you have any idea how serious this was? The doctors told us that only a small, small percentage of people in your condition actually woke up. They were asking Booth if he knew what your opinions of artificial-"

"They wanted to pull the plug on me?" Brennan interrupted in disbelief. "I was only unconscious for a week!"

"You were getting weaker and weaker each day. I thought…" his voice trailed off in pain. Brennan was astonished to see a tear fall down his cheek as the silence grew.

"Dad, don't worry. I'm fine now. Soon, I'll be able to go home and then get back to my regular life," Brennan reassured him quietly. Max smiled and gently placed his hand on hers.

"Not _that_ soon. How long before you're allowed to go back to work?" he asked.

"Two weeks after tomorrow," Brennan spat through gritted teeth, her eyes narrowed. "I'm fine! I've had headaches worse than this, and the soreness will leave soon. I'm sure the coma was just a result of the surgery for the fracture of my skull! The worst part is that Booth is going to take this _way_ too far - he'll probably spike my food with tranquilizers or something so I don't get out of bed-"

"Booth's just trying to look out for you. And you can always stay with me, honey," Max offered lightly.

Brennan let out a long sigh of frustration. "I don't need to stay with _anyone,_ Dad. I am fully aware of my body's limitations and don't need to be treated like I can't be trusted not to make myself worse-"

"Tempe, your doctor ordered that you need someone to take care of you. I know you hate being taken care of. Do you remember that time when you were seven and you got the flu?"

Brennan nodded. "I was sick for weeks. You and Mom wouldn't even let me leave my room."

"And do you remember trying to sneak out every day?" Max asked, laughing.

"It was boring in there… besides, all my books were downstairs," Brennan explained, a smile forming on her face as well.

"Exactly. All I'm saying is, you need to take it easy. Running back to the lab the second you get home is just going to make you feel worse for longer. Plus, I really think Booth needs to assure himself that you're alright. He had it pretty bad for the past few days," Max replied, a knowing look creeping into his eyes.

Brennan's forehead scrunched together in confusion. "What do you mean-?"

A loud, nasally ringing came from Max's pocket, interrupting her. He took out his cell phone and inspected the caller ID before answering with a quick "Russ?"

Brennan stayed quiet, trying to hear what her brother was saying. He was speaking very quickly and loudly, though Brennan could hear no individual words.

"Yeah, she's awake. She seems fine. No. No. Booth's gonna take care of her," Max said, laughing, "I know. Yeah, me too. Tomorrow? Okay. Okay. I'll tell her. Bye." He shut the phone and put it back in his pocket.

"That was your brother – he'll be here tomorrow," Max explained.

"He doesn't need to come all the way down here," Brennan replied angrily. "I keep telling everyone, this is no big deal! I'm fine!"

"Coma, Tempe. Coma. And he's already on his way. And speaking of-" Max said, checking his watch, "I think that visiting hours are past over – the nurses and your doctor have been very nice so far, but I think that they've gotten sick of Booth and I prowling around here during the past week. I'd better be going."

"Oh… okay. Drive safe. I'll see you later, Dad," Brennan said, feeling put out. She was so far pleased; things hadn't been awkward at all between her father and herself, which was a first. She liked it.

"Bye, Tempe. Get better. Do what the doctor tells you do to," he said, getting up.

"_Goodbye,_ Dad!"

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_So... what did you guys think? Too OOC? I tried to keep everyone as in character as I could, but I'm still not completely satisfied. To be honest, there were about 3 versions of this chapter I had to choose from and I decided this one was best. Hopefully it didn't disappoint :D _

_I've been told that enough reviewing leads to Booth showing up at your house, asking you about overdue books or something... wierd, huh?  
_


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